


Island Rescue

by AliciaRoseFantasy



Category: Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Drowning, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character(s), Superman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 09:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13143903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliciaRoseFantasy/pseuds/AliciaRoseFantasy
Summary: Ever wondered what Superman does when he's not saving the world or being a mild-mannered reporter? When a leisure activity goes wrong, it's up to the locals to step in and help.





	Island Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. Here's a Superman fic I wrote earlier this year. It's a bit of a mix of the TV shows, movies, comics etc, so I've taken random facts from different things. I hope you enjoy :) Oh, and Merry Christmas!

There was a large splash as the deep, almost turquoise water was sprayed up into the air, creating a small disruption in the otherwise peaceful environment. The island beach was rich in colour, the warm summer that was currently in full fledge creating beautiful, tropical days. One such figure was certainly not letting it go to waste, as they leeched every bit of enjoyment out of it.

The locals didn't even seem to mind the disturbance, as they happily sat on the beach under umbrellas, with cool drinks in hand and freshly cut fruit settled around them on trays. A few boats gently bobbed in the waves where they were tied.

The figure popped up through the crystal clear water again, gently drifting for a moment, before shooting up in the air and splashing back down again.

Fetu chuckled humorously and ducked slightly in his reclining chair from the fine spray that reached him. He was a man in his mid-twenties, his skin a native brown. He'd been watching the lone Kryptonian diving in and out of the water like a large, overzealous flying dolphin for quite some time now.

No one dreamed of disturbing the alien, content to let him do his thing, especially because it seemed to be making him content and happy.

Superman popped up to the surface again, and leaned to float on his back.

Fetu smiled, knowing the Kryptonian was soaking up the sparkling sunlight, rejuvenating his energy.

Since Superman began visiting the area several months ago, Fetu had done some research on him. He wanted to at least know a few facts about their common visitor, and made an effort to make sure he knew his original birth name, so that if he ever got the chance to talk to him, he could address him properly, instead of just using the name society had given him—"Superman". Hence, because of this, he knew the Kryptonian fed off sunlight.

Fetu watched as Superman floated, tiny waves lapping at his form, and couldn't help but smile. He felt it nice to be able to see the hero in such an environment, with the space to just be himself. Fetu quietly wondered what it was like to be Kryptonian. The idea that the being he was looking at came from the stars, and a home world originally hundreds of light-years away, was mind boggling.

To the rest of the world, the superhero always seemed so serious and busy all the time, flying around the planet rescuing people and helping out at disasters when he could, always keeping up appearances. It was nice to watch him just...swim.

Fetu had often wondered what Superman was like in his more natural, relaxed state. Despite this curiosity, though, he didn't want to disturb him. The man was from another planet, and Fetu didn't want to take away his space. He considered it must be difficult being a lone alien, literally 'adopted' by a strange world, and he knew he must need his solitude.

Fetu took a sip of his drink, as Superman disappeared below the clear surface again.

He sat there, thinking over the things he had to get done once the day moved on and the air became cooler, when Superman made one last dive into the water, and didn't return.

Fetu sat up, looking at his watch, noting that nearly ten minutes had passed.

"Oi, Steven," he quickly hailed one of his neighbours. "Did you see him come back up?"

Steven looked out over the serene ocean, taking in the familiar scene. "No, no I didn't. He probably came up some other place. He doesn't always stick around for long." The man patted him on the back, and then continued along the path towards the row of small houses up from the beachfront, moving under the shelter of palm trees.

Fetu stood, drink in hand, considering what the man said, before looking back out at the ocean. He knew roughly only ten minutes had passed, and that the hero could hold his breath for around twenty, but something felt wrong; there was an odd feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

He put his drink down at his chair, and began to wade out through the water.

* * *

 

Superman was enjoying himself. He'd had a long day of tiring rescues and felt like a stinky, rugged mess by the end of it.

On his way back towards Metropolis, he'd decided to stop off at his new favourite spot. The island was quiet and relatively deserted, save for a few locals. It lay a little way off the main coast. The area was tropical, and currently experiencing its summer, so he couldn't help but take the opportunity to spend a little time there to relax.

He knew the residents were friendly, and had never ratted out his pastime activities to the media, so he was content to allow himself to go there for a while, unbothered by the odd watchful eye from the shore.

Sucking in a deep breath, he dived back into the water, twirling under the surface through the relatively cool liquid, most of the dirt and grime from the days' rescues all but gone now.

He watched some fish swim by, and took in his surroundings, basking in the sun's rays that glittered through the water's surface.

He went deeper, pushing towards the shell and stone-covered ocean floor, but just as he gave an extra push of speed, a pain like none other hit him. It felt like knives stabbing all over his skin as his vision blurred, and his stomach flip-flopped. He let out a half strangled scream of bubbles as he ran into a mass of something sharp and hard, immediately getting tangled in the material in his disorientation. He struggled, trying to pull himself loose, but found his strength quickly waning. Sharp objects tore into his skin. He thrashed and squirmed, and it was then that he caught the ominous green glow in his peripheral.

On the ocean floor, not two metres away from him, lay a large chunk of Kryptonite. The rock was still in meteor form—untampered with—and had obviously landed here at some stage after his spaceship had inadvertently pulled some of the debris from his dying planet this way when he first arrived all those years ago: falling to Earth and crashing out here, only to be buried, hidden under the ocean, unnoticed.

Superman's eyes widened and he felt the pain leeching into his cells—the deadly radiation sickening him.

He stopped thrashing, blinking uselessly at his surroundings. He was trapped.

* * *

 

Fetu waded out as deep into the ocean as he dared, but found nothing but quiet waters, having been unable to see any disturbances.

He doubled back and untied his small fishing boat from its dock, before floating out on the water, keeping his eyes peeled as he scanned the horizon.

* * *

 

Superman was running out of breath. He could feel the burn in his lungs telling him he'd need air soon, as his mind scrambled for a solution.

He was stuck, tangled on the bottom of the ocean, in a predicament he'd never thought he'd see himself in. But here he was, betrayed by a simple piece of Kryptonite, drowning under the waves of a tropical beach.

He struggled again, pulling at the wire mesh around him. He should have been able to tear it like tin foil, but his body was weak, Kryptonite poisoning beginning to set in. He tried to listen, to see, to do _something_ so he could get out of this mess, but it was useless. He couldn't help it when a pained groan slipped past his lips. He'd _die_ alone in the middle of nowhere. _Lois_...she'd never forgive him.

A dark shadow passed over his form, and it took him a while to realise what it was through his panicked brooding. Until his head shot up.

A boat was passing by overhead.

 _Of course_. There had been people watching him on the beach.

A new wave of determination washed over him, fighting past the pain and debilitating numbness that overtook him. A surge of adrenalin jumped through his veins.

He scrambled with his mind, trying to think of anything at _all_ that could gain their attention.

He tried to dredge up every last ounce of strength he had left in him. His eyes glowed a soft red, amber shades swirling in his irises, but the energy slowly faded, until it ebbed.

There was too much Kryptonite. He was unable to use his heat vision to send a coded S.O.S signal as his sluggish mind had planned. If that particular power had been working, he may even have been able to free himself.

Superman threw his head back in frustration, cloudy fogs circling in the edges of his vision. He needed to act, or he'd lose consciousness soon.

The boat was passing over, moving further away.

Superman made one last desperate plea of prayer in his mind for help, before a thought came to his mind.

As a last attempt, he released an amount of the precious air he had left, in a burst of bubbles. He watched them all move to the surface, creating a disturbance, as he went limp, conserving every last ounce of strength he had remaining.

* * *

 

Fetu was just about to give up his search, concluding that his neighbour had been right, and Superman must have surfaced elsewhere.

He was just beginning to turn the small fishing boat around, when he saw a reasonably large mass of bubbles float to the surface, otherwise disturbing the quiet waters.

Deciding it was too out of the ordinary not to investigate, he moved to the edge of the boat—making it rock back and forth—and dived in. At first, he saw nothing in the clear waters, until his eyes roamed further to the bottom. There, in the shadows, was Superman, curled tangled in what looked like a large mass of fishing nets and lines, unmoving.

He moved.

Fetu swam as fast as he could, putting in extra effort as he quickly reached Superman's form.

He observed the situation in confusion for a moment, before placing a hand on Superman's shoulder.

Superman's eyes instantly snapped open, and stared at him in a panic.

Fetu reached for some of the wiring, and immediately tried to pull at it—attempting to get the hero free—but Superman shifted, and reached out towards him, trying to communicate something. He shook his head, as if in warning, eyes wide and panicked.

Fetu just shook his own head in return, not understanding what he was trying to say.

Superman then seemed to thrash harder in what appeared to be desperation, and moved a stray hand up towards his neck. The alien's eyes stared at him the whole time, as he continued motioning towards his throat. It was then that Fetu realised what was wrong. He needed air.

He rushed back up to the surface, climbing into the boat, and immediately started fetching the diving gear he always kept at the ready.

A few minutes later, he was jumping back into the water.

He moved the diving gear forward in a rush, and placed his hand round the back of Superman's neck, before pushing the mouth piece connected to the air tanks to Superman's lips.

Superman gasped, breathing in desperately as bubbles went everywhere.

Fetu watched as Superman took in large gulps of air, before he carefully placed the pack over Superman's back.

Once again, Superman was soon trying to tell him something. He began motioning to the side of them, pointing to the ocean floor. Fetu gave him a puzzled look, before following his directions.

A green, sickly looking rock lay innocently, half covered in sand, a little way away on the ocean floor.

Realisation hit him like a bucket of cold water. He raced up to the surface again and took a deep breath, before diving back down and swimming in the sinister radioactive poison's direction.

He grabbed the rock on either side, knowing it wouldn't affect him, and pulled, trying to move it from its position, but it didn't budge. He re-positioned his hands, gritted his teeth, and pulled again, putting every ounce of his strength into it, but it was no use. The stone was just too heavy.

Giving one last look at Superman to check he was holding up, he swam back to the surface.

* * *

 

Superman lay still in the water, trying not to aggravate where sharp objects dug into his skin, relief rushing through his system from the air he'd been given as if from a miracle.

He watched the man who'd come to his rescue as he climbed back up on his boat, standing in the middle and waving his arms around. He couldn't hear what he was saying as his unique hearing was not working, but he hoped it was what he thought it was.

After at least ten minutes, the serenity of the ocean was broken by more people diving down towards him from small boats. Several of them swam over to the chunk of Kryptonite, starting to lift it together, while a pair moved towards him, wire cutters in hand.

Before he knew it they were cutting him free. They began untangling the discarded wires and netting from his form, carefully pulling the sharp bits away which had managed to pierce his normally invulnerable skin. And he stayed perfectly still, taking slow, calming breaths from the oxygen tank.

Finally, the last piece was removed, and the others had dislodged the Kryptonite, quickly wrapping it in a black bag and hauling it to the surface.

The man who initially found him was soon there again, and they began lifting him up, and away from the poison.

The minute he broke the surface they pushed him up and over the side of the boat. Hands removed the scuba gear from his mouth and he immediately took in an extra large breath of air, coughing and spluttering—filling his lungs with the precious, clear oxygen.

He lay out on his back, the strong sunlight saturating his form, and fluttered his eyes closed. He could already feel its healing effects working on the cuts and scrapes covering him.

Hands were soon returning, trying to move him—shielding him from the harsh sunlight—but a voice spoke up strongly over the others. It told them to leave him, to put him down and let him just lay in the sun's rays. It told them that he needed it.

He smiled slightly at their thoughtfulness, feeling thankful, before taking a deep breath, and resting, opening up his cells to the rich, warm sunlight.

* * *

 

Superman awoke several hours later, taking slow, deep breaths as he lay comfortably. He was lying on something incredibly warm but not soft, as the last beams of sunlight for the day bathed his form. He could hear the soothing lapping of waves against a beach, and the sound of birdsong as the winged critters began to move in to roost. A little off to the side, he made out the definite crackling of a strong fire.

Curiously, he wondered what was going on as the strong scent of food cooking washed over him, and the soft, occasional sound of chatter could be heard.

His biggest concern at the moment though, was how the previously warm beams of light were beginning to move away from his form. Sleepy mind unhappy about this development, he stretched, chasing it out, but his right leg was now the only part of him still blanketed under the warm glow.

The sound of footsteps in sand made their way over towards him, before he heard the telltale sound of someone flopping to the ground beside him.

He opened his eyes.

"Hello, you had a really long snooze there. How are you feeling?" a voice asked. "Me and the guys managed to get you back to the shore after you passed out, but once we got you on the sand, you just didn't want to move. Darn stubborn you were. All you needed more was a pillow, so we just let you rest. Did you manage to get enough sunlight? I hope it helped..."

Superman blinked, as the man stopped talking.

"Oh, right, sorry, I'm Fetu. I live here." Fetu reached out a hand. "A native, you might say, but I studied English years ago. I wanted to learn the language of the major western countries so that I could communicate with a wider range of people." He smiled. "I know you have an interest in languages too, if I'm right."

Superman reached out a hand and firmly took the offered limb, from which he proceeded to be pulled up into a sitting position.

"Yes, that's true. I have learnt many languages in my time. There is always something personal about speaking to different people in their native tongue," he responded, brushing some sand from his suit.

"Definitely. Yes! I agree."

Superman smiled politely in response.

"So, Kal-El. How are you feeling?" Fetu asked, a strong sense of concern coming over him.

Superman paused, appreciating and surprised by the use of his birth name. "Better, much better. The sun helped immensely. I can't thank you enough for what you did here today."

"Oh, no, it's alright. I was just doing what was right."

"Well, in that case, that was very kind of you. Not all people would have done what you did in that situation."

"Oh, well, more should. I think every life matters, no matter who they are, or where they're from."

Superman smiled widely at the sincere response. "That is very noble of you. If only more thought in such ways."

"Hopefully, someday they will."

They both nodded quietly in response, a silence settling between them.

"Well, umm..." Fetu glanced momentarily behind him. "Do you eat? We've decided to set up a bit of a fire on the beach tonight since the evening's so clear. We're cooking a wide range of local seafood delicacies. You're welcome to join us if you like. There's plenty for you as well, if you're hungry. Every man's welcome."

Superman looked up with surprise, before gazing over at the fire. It did look nice.

"Sure. Why not," he responded, before standing up, and wandering over alongside his newfound friend.

The fire was surrounded by half a dozen local people. A few children were running around the beaches, while a small group of adults were busy cooking many different types of seafood over the fire, just like he said they were.

"Here, sit," Fetu invited, patting him on the shoulder, and he did as invited. Several people promptly looked up and smiled at his appearance.

"Kal-El, everyone. Everyone, Kal-El. Don't worry; he won't bite," he chuckled.

A light array of laughter rippled through the group, before slowly they went back to what they were doing.

"Here, try some of my crab. I catch it myself. Beautifully succulent," a man said as he came over, holding out a plate filled with various crab meat.

"Oh, and you must try the oysters. Delicious, I tell you..."

Soon enough, Superman's plate was piled high with at least one of everything, as everyone (including the children) soon came to join in the community meal.

Later, Superman lay once again, resting back on the sand with an empty plate beside him and a full stomach, having tried every one of the local delicacies offered to him. With his cape flowing out beneath him, he watched the stars as the sounds of chatter filled the area around him.

His eyes were gazing over the Milky Way, when Fetu quietly lay down beside him.

"Which one's yours?"

Superman turned his head, looking over at the man.

"The stars. Which one's yours?" he repeated, clearer.

Superman gazed down towards the rippling ocean licked by the slivers of moonlight for a moment, before setting his eyes up again.

"My star was once there, in the middle of that constellation." Superman raised his arm and pointed towards a small conglomeration of stars, a space clearly now empty and dark near the centre, marking the position where another civilisation once thrived. The place was now lonely and dark.

Fetu felt a pang of sorrow, as he stared long and hard at the lost birthplace of the hero beside him, a feeling of loss coming over him as he thought of all who'd once lived there.

"I'm sorry," he said. The heaviness of his words weighed down with what he couldn't express through speech, and his head dropped towards the sand.

"Don't be, I was only a child when it happened. My home is here now. This is where I belong."

Fetu rose up on an elbow and stared at him for a long moment, before he smiled.

"I'm glad. I'm happy you were able to find a home here."

Superman smiled, before gazing back up at the twinkling stars.

"So am I."

* * *

 

Later that night, after the fire had died down and the people trailed off to their homes, Superman quietly flew in the window of a neat brownstone house. He changed quickly, before pulling the covers back, and curling up beside the lone figure already sleeping in the bed. Two arms promptly wound around him, and he closed his eyes, as he was cuddled up close—safe. _Home._

* * *

 

**5 days later**

Fetu smiled as he helped carry a net of fish up the shore, his eyes catching the telltale flash of red and blue. The Kryptonian had once again appeared, looking rather muddy, and dived into the water.

Several days before, Fetu had made sure, himself, that that sickly green rock had been buried good and deep, where no one would ever find it again. He remembered the strong feeling of satisfaction he'd felt as he'd filled in the last bit of dirt, knowing it would never see the light of day again. He'd personally led a team to scour the ocean floor for every last piece of the substance, securing that the area was clean and safe for their Kryptonian friend before he returned.

He felt relieved now, knowing that it would never harm Kal-El again.

Breathing deeply, he focused back on the task at hand, continuing to his destination—the sound of Superman swimming in the sunshine reaching his ears as he went.


End file.
